Shock and Awe

Peter, John and James - what an experience for this Sunday in our Lenten journey. This was no, "Cool Lord!" or "Awesome dude!" as we may hear among the youth of today. Imagine the likes of Steven Spielberg depicting the Transfiguaration of the Lord with CNN or Fox News salivating at the bottom of the mountain waiting for the three to descend. "How did you feel?" "What was it like?" "Did Jesus say anything?" "Got any souvenirs?" Stop.

As we begin this Second week of Lent, we are faced with a profound, mystical theophany; a revelation of the divinity of Christ appearing with two long dead pillars of the Old Testament - Moses and Elijah. One pillar holds up the Covenant of Mt. Sinai - the primordial Law of God establlished between himself and humanity; the other, a pillar of the conscience of Israel, the prophets of old who foretold the coming of the Messiah, who stands before them, with Jesus in "dazzling white" garments. Now, that is a Kodak moment - shock and awe!

Maybe that is the point of what our reaction should be this Sunday as we, like the three chosen to accompany Jesus, prepare ourselves to enter the tragedy of the death of Christ - to strenghthen our faith and their's.

When is the last time you were awestruck, speechless, overcome by wonder? I'm not sure I can answer that question easily. When you saw the Grand Canyon? The birth of a child? The immense power of the Ocean? A shooting star? Such things have the power to strike us silent - beyond words - that we simply sit and wonder, absorbing the majesty of it all. Our world today is seldom struck speechless - we have the answer to everything and if don't now, we will very soon. Science, as wonderful as it is, has the answer to everything - except the "why" of life.

Therein, I think, lies our response to Jesus' transfiguration. Remember Peter, always ready to blurt out his thought, not always thinking about how naive he may sound, but with a heart on fire for the Lord. I can imagine the reaction of the other two when they heard Peter - "Peter! Build three tents?" And all Peter wanted to do was hold on, grip tightly to this experience and savor it.

While I doubt that any of you readers have had such a mystical experience, but if you have let us know. Through the power of God's word this weekend, we too must stand in awe and wonder at the majesty of it all and at who Jesus is for humanity - God has come to visit us; to pitch his tent - one enormous one for all who will accept his invitation.

"This is my Son, listen to Him," the Father speaks. How could they have ever kept it a secret?